Gen. 1.27 and God Created Man

Gen. 1.27 and God Created Man

And God created the man in his image (εικονα)
In the image of God he created him
Male and female he created them

Text note, in the Greek translation the first phrases’s ‘in his image’ (בצלמו) is left out.

One of the most interesting discussions that come up with Theological Anthropology is “what constitutes ‘the image of God’”? Most arguments entail ‘soul’, ‘mind’, ‘spirit’ ‘conscience’ etc. Not often do you see the two genders (male and female) put forth as part of what makes up ‘image of God.’ But, in the text it is noted. This verse, which is made up of three clauses centering around three uses of the the word ‘create’ (ברא), is a literary unit – it is meant to be taken as a whole. Grammatically, then, when discussing the ‘Image of God’, the first thing mentioned should be ‘male and female.’